Tears
by Yusei
Summary: Antinomy achieves his goal of preventing Yusei standing as a threat to Zone. Just as Yusei breathes his last, Bruno understands what he's done. Dark Glass wants to fight on in the memory of his true friend, and has a difficult task ahead. Sequel to Glass.
1. Chapter 1

**Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's - Tears**

by Yusei

_**Summary - **"_Antinomy achieves his goal of preventing Yusei standing as a threat to Zone. Just as Yusei breathes his last, Bruno understands what he's done. Dark Glass wants to fight on in the memory of his true friend, and has a difficult task ahead_"._

_**Disclaimer – **__I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters._

_**A/N – **This isn't a long fanfic, it'll last just a few chapters. As mentioned previously in 'Glass', this works as a sort-of semi-sequel, planned between Episodes 144 and 145 airing. Since the following episodes aired, it became clear that things wouldn't have panned out like this, but I still wanted to write this out of a fondness of Antinomy, Zone and exploring the relationshp between them, including the friendship between Bruno and Yusei__. As for the title, it has a dual-meaning that I wanted to look into and ask you; do you believe it would refer more to the tears shed over the events of the story or the tears in Zone and Bruno's bond? Regardless, I hope you enjoy. Please read and review._

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><p>Dragging himself along through that rubble wasteland was purely automatic; there was nothing left but the view. That dim view of grey buildings toppled, the torn concrete floor and the blue sky poisoned with streams of grey smoke and cloud that meant nothing anymore. Black fumes waved skywards from ruins tossed asunder, remnants of the city he called home, a mere shadow of its once glorious state. They warned this would happen when the claimed ban of Synchro Monsters reached him, but by then, it was far too late.<p>

_They_ came.

They tore this world apart, smashed through the frail surface and scrapped through with a fearsome power, ripping the face of the planet and ruining all that mankind had strived to build, to perfect. Neo-Domino City had always been revered as utopia; how easily paradise fell to the steel hands of an alien enemy. Antinomy was alone in this place; mankind had been wiped out in one immense swoop, there was no chance of hope and repopulation. The time for man to die out had come with a vicious strike, eliminated by a superior race without even its own language.

Antinomy reached the edge of the raised concrete stage; the remains of a highway standing high over the broken ground level of the city and gazed upwards; it hurt so much to see such a proud metropolis crumbling; skyscrapers once licking the heavens with their roofs toppled and pointing out of the levelled landscape with diagonal remainders; towers eaten away into uneven triangles. No matter what the source, smoke streamed from everywhere, fires raging underneath the stripped grey surfaces, bruised and broken, windows cracked or missing altogether like rotten teeth ripped out of the mouths. This was no city, no utopia; this was war and the end of the world as far as he was concerned.

The only problem was, he had no spirit left to fight. He had essentially played a part in this, adding to Momentum's strain with his Synchro Monsters, ignoring warnings that had blared out from people who feared an apocalypse. Their worst fears confirmed after their deaths. Antinomy tipped his head downwards, in front of him was the cursed tool; a discarded Synchro Monster flat without a crack to slip into. He dropped to his knees, heart too heavy to carry further, his spirit sliced into pieces, broken beyond repair. His argument had been clear; the legendary duellist Fudo Yusei had achieved eternal greatness through the use of Synchro Monsters, why not him? This… this disaster was the response, with much more impact on his tormented soul than words could have ever imagined. Automatically, his white hand reached out for the pale card laying before him, an automatic response to recovering a victim abandoned by fate and left to rot, wanting to find the one who had guarded it before he or she so tragically lost their life. Return the cause of the city's reduction to nothing above a state to where it belonged. And then… his hand fell away. There was no point anymore.

His eyes were downcast when the orange and silver machine that led the army of its own kind and two other breeds crept up the severed face of he highway, unscathed from its battles with human weaponry. The white cannon locked onto the survivor in body only and moved towards him.

Antinomy did nothing to move, but sat on his knees and stared up at death, waiting for its chilled arms to wrap themselves around him and drag his soul off to wherever everyone else had been taken. There was a desperate look to die in his eyes, a lack of emotion to the outside world, otherwise a despaired gaze without any resistance. An acceptance to Death's invitation. His eyes clothes, not wanting to watch the gaping black hole fill with the energy that would annihilate his body. He would die peacefully.

Behind the black veil, a screech resonated violently, but no pain came as he expected; it was impossible for the machine race to miss - they never missed. There was, however, metallic shrieking and the growling of explosions. Antinomy's eyes snapped open quickly enough to grasp the fact that a golden beam had penetrated the hollow infinite chest of the steel assassin and obliterated it like no force used by man before, was it possible that it was War of the Worlds? Had there been some new power developed that would fight them off and let the ruins of mankind recover their disintegrated existence. Black smoke swept his way in a fierce storm of wind and cloud, forcing Antinomy to look away, close his eyes and raise an arm high enough to protect his dry mouth, steadying himself on readied legs bent at the knee and set apart through the unnatural shaking of the dead road.

The earthquake came to an end after what felt like a minute, but mere seconds in reality, Antinomy sought out the source of the golden ray that had shone down on him; both granting him a chance to witness this human rebellion and curse him with living on in a defeated world. Another road much higher revealed the truth, shocking his heart back into a rhythmic beat; quickened thuds of life to remind himself he was, indeed, real in this desolate world.

The crimson D-Wheel marked with white patterns along the sides sat at the edge of the elevated highway, also destroyed like that which he stood upon. From the unique curve of the motorcycle, a large black cannon rested, the mouth steaming from the ejaculation so recent, the man seated in the moon unmistakable. Antinomy's eyes widened until his pupils were an inch from vanishing altogether; behind the grey streams in the air, the sun finally peaked through, reflecting off the opaque visor and painting it white.

"I- It can't be" the blue-haired ghost gasped.

The D-Wheel raced over the edge, soaring gracefully through the still air, a common feat in the rider's prime, but he had yet to age physically. The machine crashed onto the ground, bouncing from the frail road and skidding to a controlled halt, the rider tilting the machine and raised his head, a stoic frown painted onto his face, hardened by all the destruction he had witnessed, Antinomy guessed. He climbed out of the D-Wheel and it was now that Antinomy picked up on slight alternations from the version he knew and the one approaching like some mysterious saviour, about to reveal to him that he was a guardian, sent back to his youth in order to reveal a cure for the steel plague, unleash secrets to the distraught man waiting his halt, standing dumbfounded before a generation's idol. It had yet to sink into Antinomy's mind exactly who it was walking towards him without so much as a breath through his pale lips.

The man paused a foot or so in front of him, shorter than he ever expected, but that was unimportant. He raised a browned hand, wearing still that same unsentimental half-face. Out of his ordinary character, Antinomy was quick to seize the one hand with both of his, sudden tears of overwhelming grief trickling from his eyes and down his face, he held on tight, wanting nothing more than the illusion of Fudo Yusei to stay with him, not to vanish and take away the last of his soul's belief that man could exist. His eyes closed, and never did that face leave him. That was… until he asked Antinomy of the favour; to destroy himself.

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><p><strong>End One<strong>

Along the road consisting of only golden light against the darkness of space around the celestial track, two D-Wheels raced around in the heat of battle; the unique crimson machine chasing a single-wheeled slender machine wobbled unstably in a stark contrast to its rival. The rider of the leading motorcycle didn't even flinch, nor did he turn his eyes around to the struggling pursuer. A grand armoured monster launched its assault against the chasing party, launching missiles and ripping into the light; throwing the machine wildly out of control. The explosion caused the two tyres to leave the road, throwing the young man in its body out violently, both crashing down and skidding a short distance. The young victim, Fudo Yusei, cried out as his chest slammed against the road, despite the lack of strength in the surface.

The other rider, adopting his original identity of Antinomy, finally glanced over his shoulder, trying his hardest to ignore the months he had shared with Yusei, making the victory over the young Signer much more bitter. His fingers twitched, considering riding on and ignoring the younger rider, allowing death to claim him without any kind of peace. But although his body was artificial as opposed to organic, the same couldn't be said for his heart. Against his body's will, Antinomy turned his D-Wheel, rolling back down the glimmering road and slowing over the downed Signer.

As soon as the D-Wheel came to a complete stop, Antinomy's lightless eyes widened significantly; on the ground in front of him, Yusei was panting with his last desperate breaths, his shuddering arms trying to push him bruised and scratched body from the light. A glint across the edge of Yusei's visor sent a chill running down the android's spine. Through Dark Glass' mind, Antinomy's memories flowed; recollections belonging to someone else, someone whose body and name he had stolen. The sliding light reminded him of the day Zone rescued Antinomy from certain death. Even in a world without a future, Zone continued to fight; even without a future of his own, Yusei insisted on picking himself up.

Bruno's face twisted into a perplexed and somewhat horrified expression while drawing the parallels between the aged God and the dying Signer in front of him. He clambered out of the machine, dropping onto his knees by Yusei's sides, rolling him over and resting his back on the bent knees beside him. Yusei's eyes slid open slightly, narrow from the effort living demanded of him, using the limited resource left inside of his fading body.

"Br… Bruno…" he whispered with a gentle smile.

Bruno flinched, remembering everything the two had gone through; their unusual meeting, managing to upgrade the D-Wheels, working together to find the missing history of the man and realise the true plans of Yliaster. Where did all those happier times go? When did all the smiles become frowns and tears? Despite Antinomy's demands, Yusei continued to call him Bruno; his friend.

"Yusei" Bruno spoke, words flowing out of his mouth without running through his mind first. "I'm sorry for all the lies I've spoken, I never meant for all this to happen. Please… forgive me… I- I'd watched Neo-Domino and the world fall once; as soon as those memories poured into me, I became consumed by the desire to avoid that happening once more. I don't understand why I just suddenly turned against you. Why did I commit such an act? You once saved me in that world… without people like you, there are going to be many victims regardless of what happens. I don't know how far the fallout from the Ark Cradle will travel - maybe it will manage 30 miles, maybe more - but there are loyal people who are staying; they'll die protecting something they can't".

Regardless of Bruno's pleading for forgiveness and the tears that filled his eyes whilst recalling his past and the potential future, Yusei continued to smile softly, recognising Bruno's hairstyle having returned to the form he had grown familiar with rather than the spiked design of the mysterious rider who would show up occasionally and offer guidance.

"Bruno…" he whispered hoarsely. "It's alright, I forgive you".

"What?" Bruno asked breathlessly.

"You were a good friend to me; you taught me about the Accel Synchro - something required if we were to win the WRGP" Yusei elaborated. "You started me on a path that would guide the world to safety; we managed to defeat Aporia and save Neo-Domino, even if it was just temporarily…"

The tears in Bruno's eyes slid down his face automatically, overwhelmed by Yusei's kind words and the laborious breaths that joined them. With his free right hand, he clenched Yusei's right, squeezing it gently, just as he had grabbed Zone's extended hand and started a journey of his own. Or rather, Antinomy had. His lips parted and froze, considering the possibility of confessing the truth about Zone to Yusei, but quickly decided against it, unwilling to distress him in his dying moments. Instead, he bit his lip, trying and failing to suppress additional tears that came and the grief and regret over his actions.

"Please, Bruno" Yusei choked. "I want you to understand, even if you are - no, _were_ - an enemy, I'd like to entrust you with a message for Jack and the others".

"Anything" Bruno sobbed, hunching over to shorten the distance between his and Yusei's faces. "Please, I'll do anything to make up for my sin".

Yusei's eyes softened at Bruno's strange behaviour. "You've done nothing but carry out the purpose you exist for" he breathed. "And I'm asking you to carry out my wish; please… tell Jack and the others I tried my best, I'm sorry it's not enough… and that they shouldn't lose the bonds that connect us all just because I'm gone… They shouldn't waste their precious connections because I wasn't strong enough".

Bruno nodded sharply, a swift signal that he had inherited the words, would process them and pass them on. Yusei responded with a sharp breath and arched his back, hissing with sudden agony as death closed in on the two. The flinch caused Bruno to panic, even though it was inevitable, it terrified him.

"Yusei!" he cried fearfully.

"Regardless of what fate decides… I want you to take care of this world, Bruno" the Signer managed after relaxing.

Bruno's throat tightened suddenly, clogged with emotions that sparkled clearly in his eyes, clouding his human-like face with a mask of emotions; a pained expression that would easily deceive anyone unfamiliar with his true origins. His hand tightened around Yusei's as though the constricting grip would be enough to keep him alive.

"Yusei!"

Yusei's eyebrows rose from the tops of his sockets, aiding the softening of his face, his own eyes also damp with unshed tears; a realisation that in a matter of moments, he would no longer experience life and everything would become eternally black.

"I… I guess I don't want to go" he chuckled weakly. "But… I'm much more grateful for having lived in the first place. I'm glad I met people like you, Jack, Crow and everyone else".

"Yusei, I swear to you, I will carry on your message" Bruno sobbed. "I'll carry on whatever you want me to. I promise!"

"Thank you, Bruno…" Yusei breathed once more.

Following the breath, his eyes began to slid closed. Bruno gasped in horror, fresh tears sprinkling from his eyes. Yusei failed to react, confirming Bruno's worst fears; his life had finally come to an end. The shooting star had burned out and disappeared into the night's sky.

"Yusei!" he cried.

The small drops that had formed in Yusei's darkening eyes slid away from their source, flowing down the sides of his head and disappearing into the roots of his hair; the final sadness of the troubled soul in his arms. The chest remained flat, moving no more, and the head falling limp against Bruno's arm. Further tears dripped from his eyes, unable to reach Yusei or his own due to the visor separating his upper face from the corpse. Regardless, his hand shivered while clutching the limp fingers resting against him.

A low growling resonated from behind the pair and Bruno twisted his neck to find that the black hole formed as a result of his Delta Accel Synchro was closing in on them, sucking up the light road with ferocious speed.

Bruno felt numb; the void would suck in Yusei's body and hold it prisoner, crushing it with its terrible force, mercilessly erasing any sign of the Signer's existence in the illusion realm or even on the Ark Cradle hanging in the skies above Neo-Domino. Bruno tensed his arms, wrapping them tighter around Yusei and pulling him against his chest, tucking the boy's helmeted head underneath his chin, spraying the red headgear with his distress.

"No!" he yelled tearfully, shaking his head. "I don't want Yusei to disappear! Not like everyone else; not like the people we lost before. Don't take Yusei away from me!"

From the approaching blackness, a grunt, sounding like it came from a human, the voice resembling Zone's, although the roaring of the dark force hindered identifying the source.

"_Then you shall vanish with him…"_

Bruno closed his eyes tightly, turning away from the black hole chasing them, screwing his face and sprinkling more drops over Yusei's helmet. There was nothing he could do; he was powerless, they were going to die together. He would shortly follow the Head Signer into whatever plain laid beyond their false realm.

"No!" he screamed. "I don't want this!"

Despite its power, the black hole seemed to hesitate and freeze, the hissing of its sucking power died. The orbital stage around the two cracked and shattered, revealing the large chamber from the Ark Cradle behind the illusion, shards of the false world dissolving. After a moment, expecting them to have both been ripped away by the void's power, Bruno lifted his head, searching his surroundings for an answer over what had happened, somewhat relieved that they had been spared, but devastated regardless over Yusei's passing. The Yuusei Gear behind the fallen D-Wheels moaned, slowing to a halt, ending the flow of momentum flowing around their section of the Ark Cradle, plunging the wide compartment into darkness.

Bruno lifted his head, wearing the same dull expression Antinomy had used whilst staggering through the debris of his dead world. "The Yuusei Gear…" he managed to whisper.

It was peculiar how the components of the Ark Cradle's engine had suddenly shut down, ending the theft of energy from the City below; the task had been handed to Yusei and the Signers, yet the objective had been completed regardless. Bruno's eyes fell to find Yusei's still face.

"Is it possible… ?" he breathed. "Could Yusei's heart have extended its time long enough to stop the Yuusei Gear? You… you did it to deliver hope to the people of this present world".

Tilting his head forwards, allowing the thickened glass of his visor to shield his eyes from an exterior view, Dark Glass bit into his bottom lip once more. It didn't make sense; if Zone's intentions had been to eliminate Yusei all along, why did he allow him to guide the young Signer so far? Why did he allow the display of Accel Synchro and permit the replica working as part of Team 5D's? While he watched the calmed face of his deceased friend, it came to him; the potential reason behind Zone's strange games.

"Could it be… ?" he murmured. "Zone has just been using me like a pawn; I was just a tool to get close to Yusei and lower his guard. Perhaps it's because I'm not the Antinomy that Zone wanted, I'm not the person he called his friend. Maybe it's revenge for that very reason…"

He bowed his head, unsure what to believe, feeling the pressure of his task weighing down on him finally, having completed the task that Zone handed Antinomy prior to the executioner's death.

"Maybe they shared a friendship like what I experienced with Yusei…" Dark Glass added to nobody. His head snapped upwards once more, unveiling the new determined glare mixed with bitter tears of deceit and mourning. "Then… I will play as Zone's tool no longer. I'll avenge Yusei because we were both used as pawns in his game".

His right hand withdrew from Yusei's, tightening into a fist, shivering with guilt. He had no right to suddenly pick up Yusei's will and carry it on as his own, having been the one that severed Yusei from life. But he had lived so far under a mission objective; he would instead devise his own, one that would require no deaths, but the power to overcome tragedy successfully. He would get answers that he had been desperately seeking for months and uncover the shady truth about those watching, just as Sherry had been searching.

Nearby, Yusei's D-Wheel remained where it had fallen, a short distance from the two, Dark Glass cast his eyes over it wistfully; unsure what he was supposed to do with the machine. It was Yusei's pride and joy, he had put his heart into building, repairing and upgrading the machine; it was as though the only portion of his soul that would remain in the world would have been encased in the unique frame. His eyes fell to Yusei, knowing that the dark-haired rider wouldn't want to leave behind something so precious, but it was impossible to take it on with him to find Zone. For that task, he would need his own D-Wheel; Antinomy's Delta Eagle.

Leaving it behind would be a clear sign to the others that something had happened when they would join in the room; the connection between the three paths that would guide them to Zone. And although it would suggest something had taken place, it wouldn't shed light on what; he dreaded the moment he would have to confess that Fudo Yusei was dead.

Gently laying down the corpse, Dark Glass shuffled away and rose from the floor, striding across the short gap between the bodies and the machines, kneeling down beside the red D-Wheel and laying a hand on its scratched nose, closing his eyes sorrowfully.

"Forgive me…" he whispered gently.

The gloves moved across the frame, sliding onto the Duel Disk fixed underneath the monitor and closing in on the cards. The blue-haired man said nothing and squeezed his eyes shut as he tore the deck from the Duel Disk, removing the Synchro Monsters Yusei treasured from the compartment on the opposite end of the circular core. Combining the two stacks of cards into one, his eyes ran over the Stardust Dragon card face stared up at him, a reminder of whom exactly he had slain. After all he had managed to accomplish in front of the global audience watching hopefully. Hope existed no more.

Dark Glass picked himself back up and returned to the body, sliding the inherited deck into one of the holders attached to his belt and dropped back down onto one knee. His arms reached over, one wrapping itself around Yusei's waist and the other seizing his wrist, dragging him against his chest ahead of wrapping his arms around the frozen torso. Having collected the last of his requirements, Dark Glass climbed into his D-Wheel, positioning Yusei in front of him, the boy's head falling against his chest, but otherwise, seated as though he were willingly riding with the man. Dark Glass moved his arms forward, grasping the grips in front of him while encasing Yusei's in his territory, his eyes gleamed with a reborn determination and strength. Sparks fizzled from the single tyre and the D-Wheel shot forward in search of the cursed God.


	2. Chapter 2

**Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's - Tears**

by Yusei

_**Summary - **"_Antinomy achieves his goal of preventing Yusei standing as a threat to Zone. Just as Yusei breathes his last, Bruno understands what he's done. Dark Glass wants to fight on in the memory of his true friend, and has a difficult task ahead_"._

_**Disclaimer – **__I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters._

_**A/N – **At this moment, I had a close friend in mind as I worked on this chapter, although the notes were handwritten months ago__. I won't go into the details, but my thoughts are with her and I've planned for a oneshot that will come soon dedicated to her, under the working title "Continuation". Just for the sake of anyone who didn't understand; this does follow Yusei and Antinomy's duel; which stands as an alternative ending to Episode 145. Please read and review._

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><p>There were others in the Ark Cradle, all with the same goal to defy time and reverse the descending monument to the future. The famous Wheel of Fortune stormed through one of the rounded corridors, expecting to meet up at the third Yuusei Gear with the others separated. Jack Atlus' expression didn't falter, his narrow eyes felt firmly ahead only for any sign that the path would open up to the final stage he approached. Either side of him, Rua and Ruka clung onto the arms of his D-Wheel, riding on their inactive D-Boards; while the Signers had discovered powering their D-Wheels using the Birthmarks engraved on their arms was possible, the same could not be said for the twins' devices.<p>

Ruka's eyes rested on the arm in question, having felt a twinge coming from the Birthmark previously. Anxiety pulsed within her. Rua picked up on his sister's emotions and smiled reassuringly at her; he himself had just been granted a symbol of the Crimson Dragon and the truth Fifth Dragon form the ancient conflict, he, too, could finally feel what the others had been experiencing all along while he watched from the sidelines.

"Everything's going to be alright" he affirmed brightly.

Ruka redirected her eyes to the mirror of herself and nodded, although hesitated in smiling. The refusal disappointed Rua; it was a sign that she still needed more convincing. His eyes travelled along the road, aligning themselves with Jack's target and resumed his beaming.

"Yusei will be there first" he uttered. The claim drew his sister's eyes. "He has the Head Birthmark. He leads us all; against the Dark Signers, through the WRGP, up to the Ark Cradle. He'll be there waiting for us… when he's the first one to step into the future".

"He'll lead us to a safer future…" Ruka muttered softly.

Rua clutched the mask over his face; the dreaded truth he hadn't shared was the end of the theory; should Yusei be the first through such aspects of life, he would also be the first to die. That fact unnerved the boy, reminding him of his mournful plea prior to the ascent. Sherry claimed Yusei would die should he board the Ark Cradle; was that going to happen? Would that be Yusei's next step? Rua shook his head, throwing away all doubt surrounding the leading Signer, that couldn't be truth; Yusei wouldn't allow Death to snatch him away, he had managed to evade the reader's hands so far.

Jack narrowed his eyes slightly, remembering how he and Yusei had met privately at the tower where Yusei would often vanish to; watching over the city with a somewhat wistful air about him.

_He turned from the far-stretching view; his right hand remained loosely on the iron fence in front of him. There was something about Yusei's expression in that moment that put Jack off; he seemed depressed, out of character for the boy he had known since they were babies. Yusei had long ago tried to seal his emotions away, and although meeting the other Signers in the past year had largely opened up that box once more, it was apparent that his guilt was kept under a much greater lock, determined not to leak it to those he held dearest._

"_Jack…" he sighed. "I just don't know what to think about it anymore"._

"_Don't be stupid" Jack replied sternly, his arms folded over his shoulders to emphasise his stance. "You're not the same as them; the Godwin brothers had something in their heads that led to them being poisoned"._

"_What's to say this Birthmark won't get into my head and do the same to me?" Yusei asked. "Rudger called my guilt over Zero Reverse darkness. A darkness in my heart; it could easily prey on that. What if I become someone else? I could betray the Fudo Yusei you know"._

"_I wouldn't let that happen" Jack replied firmly._

_Yusei's hand fell from the barrier behind him and offered a smile to the blonde. "Thank you, Jack…"_

The memory burned within him, reminding him that Yusei, Aki and Crow would be waiting ahead for the trio, ready to take on the final obstacle between the city and true peace. They had reunited two broken halves before; they could easily separate the present and future. That was what Yusei had been determined to do; a will that expanded to inspire the others and motivate them. His fingers tightened around the grips either side of him, ready to push his D-Wheel even harder, the gradual increase of speed alerting the twins who turned to him.

"We'll ride strong with Yusei" he declared. "We'll ride right into the future with him".

Rua smiled and responded with a nod, bracing himself while the D-Wheel shuddered and raced ahead, searching for the light that would open up to the truth laying ahead.

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><p>"Something feels off…"<p>

Much like Jack and the twins, Izayoi Aki watched the arm where the Birthmark had been etched into her skin long ago. The diversion in her focus had caused her to fall a short distance behind Crow and Sherry, neither slowing at any point, though Crow watched over his shoulder occasionally to see if Aki had recovered from her faltering.

"This feeling… could it be something to do with Yusei?" the young woman asked herself discreetly.

"Whenever something big happens that involves Yusei, the Birthmarks seem to have a different feeling than normal, huh?" Crow commented, smirking over his shoulder to ease her concerns.

Regardless of the attempt, Aki lowered her eyes to the arm stretched out in front. "They've never felt like this…"

Sherry, leading the pair, listened whilst watching over her shoulder; she had no input into the conversation. She was an outsider, always had been, always would be; she had only been tangled into the Signers' business through the murder of her parents, instigated by Yliaster, and her eventual betrayal. Zone promised her a reward he could never pass on in exchange for her services. Her eyes slid to the road ahead, and like Jack, she waited for any sign of the third platform opening up, luring all three parties together once more.

"Yusei…" she breathed.

Her eyes sharpened; the last time she had seen the young Signer, she had handed down to him the prediction Zone entrusted her with: when he boarded the Ark Cradle, his life would end. Yusei had leaned forward and claimed he would deny that fate from becoming reality. Zone had revealed his title as the God of Destiny to Sherry, although Yusei had the power to manipulate fate himself, it seemed, would he really be able to foil Zone's powers and override destiny?

"Zone…"

She stamped on the acceleration pedal on the side of her D-Wheel, launching her forward, signalling the others to follow should they wish to make it in time.

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><p><strong>End Two<strong>

A light began to shine, alerting Rua, who pointed ahead with a small cry of surprise. Ruka followed her brother's observation and smiled at the opening, although the light never grew any larger or brighter and remained a simple glow in the distance. Jack launched the D-Wheel forward, crashing into the room, hitting the brake while the twins released the arms of the machine and raced around their corner of the grand platform. The life in their boards lasted a moment and as it died out, the two rolled to a halt close to Jack's machine, craning their necks back to the monumental gear, dead with the room plunged into darkness.

"Momentum isn't flowing here anymore" Ruka commented. "But there's something strange about here. Like in this room…"

"Maybe Yusei's still duelling" Rua guessed, shrugging his shoulders.

Ruka laid her hand over the Birthmark, squeezing the limb carefully while her narrowed eyes drifted around anxiously. "I can't feel the fighting spirit of a duellist Signer though" she whispered.

Jack's eyes surveyed the large chamber, searching for any sign that could offer an answer to their confusion. He managed to discover a large clue, but it alluded to his worst fears; a chilled gasp escaped his mouth whilst it dropped open - across the room, at the base of the Yuusei Gear, Yusei's D-Wheel aid on its side, appearing to have crashed or undergone a brutal experience. The blonde threw up the left arm of his D-Wheel and jumped out, charging towards the toppled machine, his rash actions catching the twins' attention.

The two watched without any knowledge of what Jack had discovered nor what implications it left. Whilst he charged towards it, Rua captured the machine in his sight and gasped with the same level of terror and disbelief as the blonde had felt. He jumped from the D-Board, rushing after Jack and quickly followed by Ruka. While the two attempted to catch up, Jack dropped onto his knees beside the D-Wheel, leaning over to find that Yusei's deck was missing, yet the Duel Disk seemed to remain.

"This isn't right…" he growled. "What happened here?"

Rua and Ruka slowed their charge to a jog and stopped completely just behind Jack, picking up on his observations and exchanging equally uncomfortable looks.

"Maybe Yusei was in a Ground Duel" the boy suggested.

Jack's eyes narrowed sharply that explanation shed no light on the scene left behind. _'That doesn't explain why Yusei would have left his Duel Disk and D-Wheel behind. It's not like him'_.

Ruka tucked her head between her shoulders, casting her eyes towards the clear, colourless floor at her feet. "It's happened before, but… what if Yusei was forced to duel someone he didn't want to. When Rally died, Yusei raced off after Rudger recklessly without a second thought; it's possible he's tried to do the same and chase after Zone without thinking".

The explanation made more sense than Rua's suggestion. However, there were so many pieces that didn't add up; regardless of his state of mind, Yusei treasured his D-Wheel as though it were his life; he wouldn't have thrown it away and stormed after Zone on foot, there had to be more to the story that they would get only from Yusei himself.

'_Yusei…'_ he thought, tapering his eyes worriedly while a drop of sweat slid down his paled face. _'What's happening? Has something gone wrong?'_

* * *

><p>Antinomy's eyes never deviated from the road he travelled along, watching over the top of Yusei's helmet, simply waiting for a glimmer to break through the unending darkness.<p>

'_Zone is waiting ahead…'_ he thought, sharpening his eyes. _'I wonder if he knows…'_

If he was aware that he had been betrayed by his final friend. The light he had been waiting for came following what felt like an eternity, blinking once, then opening up, swallowing the D-Wheel and its occupants, leading them to the grand doors that had receded, leaving only a gaping hole for them to enter; with the Yuusei Gears down, there was nothing to prevent anyone from reaching the mastermind waiting at the heart of the Ark Cradle.

Guilt swelled in Antinomy's heart while he contemplated his string of betrayals; he had been sent as an agent to watch over Yusei, deviating from that role in order to prevent Placido causing damage. That one instance of carelessness cost him his memory, his mission and his friendship with Zone; it opened a world of problems. It was then that he bonded so easily with Yusei, understanding in hindsight that the two had managed to become so close due to Yusei eventually reminding the newly-restored Antinomy of Zone. There was a bond between himself and Zone in the dead world; that was what he felt with Yusei, whose heart refused to let him fight, putting their friendship above even his own life; something he had called both a strength and a weakness. He had betrayed Yusei, he had betrayed Zone; perhaps he existed for no purpose other than to turn against the ones he loved.

Regardless of what fate had lured them into; as Bruno, he experienced many times with Yusei that he considered the best of his life; both his and Antinomy's. There were memories he would never lose, no matter what he would come up against. They were memories he would clutch onto until the end of time and beyond. His wish would be only for the others to continue experiencing such bright and enjoyable times, even if they were to reject him following his crime.

The realisation came too late to save Yusei, but Bruno could understand Yusei's argument for defying Zone, even if it risked repeating the mistakes that led to the shell of a world that he had been conceived in. There were still thousands - millions - of people that would perish; the Ark Cradle had always been intended to damage a small region of the planet, but the emotional impact would be much wider, potentially crossing the entire globe and encasing many more in states of despair resembling those Aporia had endured in his years alone. Destroying a smaller of lives wasn't saving the world, it was simply damaging it in another way; that made them no better than the Machine Emperors. Even if the future had been doomed to fall to momentum once, they had the insight to alert the current era and work around the disaster; they could create systems to prevent the dire outcome. They had a chance to prevent the damage, yet they had returned simply to create their own. Worse; Aporia's three embodiments of despair had used the very creatures responsible for the death of their planet.

It would be that argument that Bruno would base his counterattack on once he located Zone. His hands twisted, accelerating the D-Wheel faster through the wide corridor and heading into the large chamber where mounds of junk lay ahead in waiting.

'_No matter what you plan, Zone'_ he thought, keeping his determined eyes ahead. _'I will win Yusei back'_.

* * *

><p>In the centre of the large chamber, the distant roaring of the D-Wheel engine stirred Zone from his meditative state; the being opening his exposed left eye. His metallic shell rested in the top of one of the largest mounds, nestled in like the king upon his throne in the centre of a war-ruined country. He was King of Nothing and God of Fate.<p>

"Antinomy…" he whispered.

As gently as it opened, the eye fell shut, the narrow crack shedding little onto his face, yet the return to a closed-off manner resembled remorse and bore an apologetic aura. He knew… he knew that Antinomy was on his way.

* * *

><p>Sherry's D-Wheel skidded as she entered the final room; the site where Yusei and Antinomy's duel had come to its tragic close. While Crow and Aki followed her path, a gap had opened; a divider between the Signers and the morally lost. In the seconds it took for the two to catch up and cross the borders into the room, Sherry twisted her neck, her expression shifting from stern to astonished at the sight of Yusei's toppled D-Wheel laying discarded. Crow's BlackBird shot past, shrieking as it slowed to a stationary position a short distance ahead of the white woman; his eyes quickly identifying the familiar crimson D-Wheel amongst the darkness. Aki, however, stayed behind, her heart accelerating at a ferocious pace, her worst fears seeming to have been drawn closer to reality with the discover of the machine. Her hand shot up, obscuring her quivering lips that Sherry would have been quick to dismiss as a sign of weakness and scold her for.<p>

"Yusei…"

Sherry slid the helmet from his head, golden hair flowing from the back and hanging behind her. The helm was laid to one side and the woman climbed from her vehicle, advancing towards the fallen machine with much more grace than Jack had approached it with. While she descended to one knee, Crow twisted his neck, locking his eyes onto Aki, whose attention had followed Sherry, blind to Crow's concerns.

A tense moment passed, stretching out into hours or days, but Sherry returned, her expression revealing the truth; there was still much more to the mystery had she had managed to uncover. Nevertheless, she refrained from confessing the details until she was positioned beside her D-Wheel, offering a sorrowful look to the pair.

"I'm sorry…" she sighed. "I can't determine what happened; not with the only thing suggesting anything did is the D-Wheel laying there".

Aki flinched, removing her right hand from her face and laying out the marked arm in front of her, recalling the strange sensation she hadn't felt previously, something that not even Crow's explanation would fit.

"That feeling…" she muttered, throat tightening with fear and remorse. Fear was building; a trembling sense climbing through her body to snatch her heart and pummel it with the devastating truth. "Maybe… it was telling us something had happened; something involving Yusei. Whatever led to this… That Yusei's…."

"Don't say things like that!" Crow snapped, reverting his face to the distraught woman, tears building in his eyes reminiscent of those already filling hers. He already knew what she was assuming: Yusei had lost and perished.

Sherry flinched once the suggestion reached her and clenched her fists automatically, knowing that she had passed on the prediction of death to deter him from boarding the Ark Cradle, failing in that duty. But… to think that it had come true; was that possible? The apparently violent discard of the unique D-Wheel did support the theory that a grim fate had befallen the Head Signer; no self-respecting D-Wheeler would do such a thing; abandon their partner and walk away without a glance over their shoulder.

She could understand, having shared a link with him through their Riding Duel; they were D-Wheelers, people of the same breed of duellist. Ever since she had witnessed the Signer break free of the prison he had been held captive in and enforced the duel upon him, she was aware that the search for the truth behind her parents' death would be inevitable; finding friends, however, had been a completely different story.

The older woman returned to her D-Wheel, sliding the helmet over her head once more, the orange visor colouring the dimly-lit chamber with a slight fiery tinge of orange. Her fingers wrapped themselves around the grips either side, arching her back in preparation to continue.

"I feel guilt for leaving it behind, as a D-Wheeler, I know the bond between a rider and their D-Wheel, but…" she sighed. "There's just no way we can take it and our own. We've no alternative".

"That's not true" Crow intervened.

Sherry's head snapped back to Crow, saying nothing whilst observing the redhead climb from his own D-Wheel, removing a rope from beneath the seat of his machine. The redhead grinned proudly, holding up the cord as though it were a trophy.

"It's something I keep whilst out on deliveries; you never know" he chuckled hollowly.

Neither Sherry nor Aki intervened whilst Crow manoeuvred his D-Wheel away from them and in front of Yusei's fallen machine, taking a few moments to drag the vehicle upright and circling the rope around the bonnet. Without either consulting the observing pair or even glancing at them, Crow punched in a series of keys that flashed on the monitor, managing to activate the dormant auto-pilot, using a back-up programme within the system in order to achieve what he had been aiming for. With the task complete, he brushed his hands against one another, smiling proudly at his work.

"There we go" he affirmed. "Now it'll lock onto BlackBird and follow it wherever we should go".

Sherry nodded in approval of the plan, pleased that Crow had concocted the plan on short notice and manipulated the auto-pilot in order to drag the machine willingly after them. Aki, however, seemed less pleased and leaned forward in her machine, guilt written across her face.

"Crow, what are you doing?" she asked. "If Yusei left his D-Wheel behind, there must have been a reason. Why are you going against what he wants?"

"You know Yusei, he would never leave this behind" Crow replied gruffly. "Something's wrong; he can't have been in the right state of mine to have left it behind. He's been rash before, I'm just making sure he doesn't' make a mistake by leaving this behind; it means the world to him".

'_Crow understands too…'_ Sherry thought, keeping her emerald eyes fixed on the redheaded man striding across to the women. _'As a more experienced D-Wheel, he can see and understand the connection between a duellist and their D-Wheel. One will not be complete without the other after they have become whole'_.

Crow threw his leg over the top of BlackBird, setting himself down in the seat of the vehicle and smirked towards the pair a short distance away, centring his attention on the blonde woman waiting in front of the more vulnerable ally.

"Alright then, Sherry" he called with an optimistic smirk. "Lead us to our friends".

Sherry revved her engine, shooting forward, racing forward towards Crow and the hollow machine, taking a sharp turn and shooting down the doorway opposite to the three leading into the chamber. Crow resumed his hopeful smiling and stormed after her, a reluctant Aki following him, her eyes held by the spot where her most dreaded concern may have become a bitter truth. The only hope was to find the truth waiting in the shadows ahead.

* * *

><p>The gun used so long ago to slay Machine Emperors threatening the few survivors of the apocalyptic world laid discarded amongst the trash accumulated into miniature mountains. The weapon itself rested against the edge of the mound in which Zone waited at the peak. Zone opened his eye and waited; he had saved Antinomy using that gun before, recalling the look of apathy and then disbelief; a transition that came with the emergence of a legendary hero. Even after the years they had spent, all the effort he had put into recreating the man, the android had shed Antinomy and become someone else. Sentient with its own bonds and own missions. It wouldn't be long before he confronted the lone God.<p>

Zone's wait was not long. Dark Glass' machine skidded through the corridors marked with the occasional component, otherwise cleared between the mountain range. Utilising a sharp turn, Dark Glass manoeuvred his D-Wheel to brake sideward, the tyre shrieking whilst sparks escaped the rubber, the entire machine shuddering over the precarious nature of the move, fortunately standing upright. Dark Glass grunted, narrowing his eyes immediately after they landed on Zone, shooting a disappointed glare over his left shoulder; the question on his mind was over Zone's attention; had he acknowledged the return of his servant, or was he more lost in the death of his target?

"Antinomy, you've returned" the God's artificial voice answered.

"I'm not Antinomy" Dark Glass growled. "You know that".

Zone's eye slid downwards, flickering with disheartenment. "Regardless of who you believe you've become, you are Antinomy" he affirmed melancholically. "You managed to keep your senses and stay loyal long enough to deal with he obstacle between this world and hope. Thank you for eliminating our demons".

Dark Glass tucked his arms inwards, closing them in until the sleeves of his tight Riding Suit brushed against Yusei's jacket, locking the body in place, his back leaning against the man's torso, head resting on the breastplate, was a bitter touch; one that the blue-haired man would have to contend with whilst he struggled to present his argument to the man hiding within a shell. His expression twitched, sliding into fury at the other being's delusions, speaking as though Dark Glass had been doing him the service of cleaning his mind of disorders and impurities, like Yusei was nothing but a disease creeping inside of him.

"The only demon here is you, Zone!" he hollered in protest. "I can see what you were like before we met; the person that saved me that day. I've been seeing that person all along, but I never imagined that you could have lost yourself so much. How twisted have you allowed yourself to be? But I understand… you're not in your right frame of mind, you haven't been all along".

Zone shot Dark Glass a curious look through the narrow strip that exposed a fraction of his face, the intrigued look did nothing to falter Dark Glass' determined expression; his dark eyes blazed with a flame that the creator had yet to see in any of his children. Like a human was being born from a machine in front of him, becoming a real person.

"Ideally, I'll save both you and Yusei" the blue-haired added confidently. "I would rather save you two than allow so many people to suffer what you went through".

Zone hesitated, allowing an extended moment to drag out before replying to the wish of his servant. "It's too late for that…" he uttered softly. "There is only a certain amount of time before the irreversible damage to complete".

Dark Glass leaned forward, creasing his brow in frustration over Zone's cryptic dialogue and a lack of understanding exactly what it meant.

"That's not true" he argued. "There must be other ways we can save this world".

"Why do you keep resisting?" Zone asked in a low tone. "Are you betraying me for that shredded life, Antinomy?"

"I'm not Antinomy!" Dark Glass yelled furiously, stretching his neck vertically. "I'm someone else; my name is Bruno".

"So you've lost yourself, then, have you?" Zone asked with a light breath. "Bruno…"

The utterance was a sign, Bruno returned his head to its calmer position, taking the response almost as acceptance that Bruno and Antinomy had grown to become completely different people. But at the same time, a wave of melancholy and grief washed over him, hanging his head in a downcast manner.

"That may be… but… I am not the only one to lose myself, am I?" he asked. The head rose once more, the determined and defiant look revived in his sharp eyes and scowl across his face as he locked eyes with Zone. "I don't want you to disappear either… Yusei!"


End file.
